


Watching for Selkies

by 0Rocky41_7



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-08 00:36:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Rocky41_7/pseuds/0Rocky41_7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young Scotland joins his sister Ireland in watching the shore for Selkies, the seal-women who inhabit her land, to come ashore. Their meeting doesn't go exactly as Ireland had planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Watching for Selkies

" _I'll tell my Ma when I go home the boys won't leave the girls alone; they pulled my hair and stole my comb, but that's alright, 'till I go home. She is handsome, she is pretty, she is the belle of Belfast city. She is counting one two three, oh please won't you tell me: who is she?_ " Ireland sang the children's rhyme to herself as she plucked petals off a daisy, lying on her belly in a field of grass. When she had finished, she tossed the spent stem over her shoulder and crept towards the edge of the cliff nearby. The beach remained disapprovingly empty.

She had skipped out on chores today to come down and watch for selkies, the women who had the power to become seals by slipping into their seal skins. Ireland desperately wanted to see one for real, instead of listening to her mother's tales all day long. At eight years old she was already showing a stubborn streak and a disinclination to work when it didn't suit her. It wasn't that she was lazy; she worked as hard as she had to to get a task done and then immediately went back to loafing around.

But so far, no luck with the selkies. Disappointed, she rolled onto her back and watched the clouds.

"Ireland!" a voice yelled.

"Quiet!" she replied, panicked. She stole another glance at the beach: empty. Selkies were terribly diffident creatures, so she knew she must remain quiet.

"Sorry," whispered Scotland, coming to sit beside her. His flaming red hair was done back in a braid and his brown eyes watched her curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Watching for selkies," Ireland replied in a whisper, putting a finger over her lips so he would know to be quiet. She motioned for him to lie on his stomach like her and he copied her, their sides pressed up against each other.

"Have you seen any?" he asked. Scotland was already beginning to lose interest in Ireland's trivial pursuits of the Fae. He thought he was such big stuff because he had just turned seven and a half. But even he couldn't deny the excitement of actually seeing one of the marvelously elusive creatures.

Ireland shook her head. "But I won't give up!"

The two fell silent and remained so for a long time. Scotland was beginning to doze off when Ireland elbowed him enthusiastically. There, swimming up onto shore, were two brown shapes. The beasts became less and less elegant as the approach shore, finally heaving themselves onto the sand. The larger of the two peeled back her seal skin and revealed a pale woman with long, dark hair and voluptuous curves. Ireland stifled a giggle with her hand and nudged Scotland, making motions on her flat chest to mimic the woman's large breasts. Scotland glanced away, stoically embarrassed. He was old enough to begin to see girls differently, but not enough that he'd be able to deal with seeing a naked woman.

By now the smaller of the two was wriggling out of her skin; a young girl, probably the daughter of the elder. The two set their skins aside and stretch out on the sand, speaking too softly for the red-headed siblings perched on the cliff top to hear over the gentle wash of the waves. The child began to build a sandcastle and Ireland crushed the urge to run down and join her. She knew she'd scare the selkies away and they'd be back in their skin and swimming away before she could get down onto the beach. So she watched instead, until the child glanced up. Their eyes met for a moment and Ireland knew it was too late to duck down and pretend she wasn't there. So instead, she called out to the girl.

"Dia duit! Conas atá tú?" She raised herself up slightly and waved. "Hello! How are you?" Scotland smacked his forehead; so much for subtlety! The child just watched with wide eyes, as dark as melted chocolate. At last she raised a hand in greeting and slowly approaches the cliff while her mother slumbers on the sand.

"Tá mé go maith. I am fine," she replied in a calm, contemplative voice.

"Cad is ainm duit?" Ireland asked her. "What is your name?"

"Silé." Her curls had dried slightly and the wind stirred them; she was quiet a lovely child.

"Cé chomh fada agus go bhfuil tú ag teacht? How far have you come?" Scotland asked her, looking over Ireland. As soon as Sile laid eyes on the boy, her eyes widened in fright and she took off down the sand, back to her mother, who she shook awake. The mother glanced to the cliff and urged her daughter back into her skin.

"Wait! We just want to be friends!" Ireland cried, jumping to her feet. The woman hesitated, halfway into her skin and calf-deep in water. Ireland raised her hand as Sile had done to her. The woman slowly reciprocated the gesture before diving into the waves and disappearing.

"Blast it Scotland," Ireland sighed. But she's too enraptured by the meeting to be too disappointed.

"It's not my fault!" Scotland defended himself, his ears turning red. "Selkies are skittish!"

"I know, I know," Ireland said. "I should have known better than to let a BOY come watch them with me." She bumped him with her shoulder and grinned crookedly. "Everyone knows selkies don't trust men!"

Scotland puffed out his chest. "They shouldn't! Men like me are the terror of Europe! The scourge of the Roman Empire!"

Ireland made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a snort. "Yeah, I'm sure a ten year old baby has got them all shaking in their armor!" she teased and then took off running.

"Hey! At least I've got all my parts!" Scotland shouted in reference to her washboard chest and non-existent hips, running after her.

"You cad!" she shrieked, turning and tackling her brother to the ground. They rolled over and over until they at last came to rest amidst a patch of flowers, panting. "My parts are going to GROW. You're going to be small forever!" she retorted at last, jumping to her feet and making for the house.

Scotland, his face beet red, followed close on her tail. "I'll get you for that one, deirfiúr!*"

"What are you two doing? Ireland, why haven't the sheep been moved?" The two children skidded to a halt as their mother, Britannia, came out of the house with a stern expression on her face. High in the hills, their house was far away from anyone else who might live on the island and there were few trees to speak of, so Ireland and Scotland were well caught.

"I wanted to see the selkies," she confessed at once.

"Well you must learn to do your chores first!" scolded Britannia. She swatted her daughter lightly on the ear. "And you, Scotland! Leading your sister into mischief!"

"I led?" Scotland cried, aghast. "She led! It was her idea!"

"You're the firstborn son," Britannia responded. "You should know better." Ireland smirked devilishly at Scotland as she grabbed the crook from the side of the wall to herd the sheep to the second pasture. "Now go fetch firewood for dinner! Your little brothers are starving!"

"I'm sure they'll live." Grumbling to himself, Scotland fetched the axe from the shed and headed off in search of trees and moss to light a fire. On his way he passed Ireland herding the sheep and she flashed him a conspiratorial grin which he couldn't help but return. Ah, for all the trouble that Ireland got him into, she was a pretty cool deirfiúr* after all.

*Sister

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really speak Irish, so I had to rely on an online translator. Apologies for any mistakes!


End file.
